Bengaluru, April 24: A special cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was held to discuss internal reservations. Meanwhile, the Karnataka BJP accused the government on Friday of creating confusion instead of providing internal reservations for Dalits, leading to increased societal divisions and potential conflicts among communities.
The BJP claimed that the people of the state would not forgive the government for this issue.
Speaking to the media at the BJP state office, former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP MP Govind Karjol stated that Siddaramaiah does not deserve to be called a leader of the AHINDA (a political coalition of Dalits, minorities, and backward classes) and has betrayed Dalit communities.
Karjol warned that if justice is not served, communities that have been fighting for reservations for the past three decades will take to the streets. He urged the government to implement at least the recommendations of the Justice Sadashiva Commission or ensure social justice without injustice to any community.
He reiterated that the BJP demands the provision of reservations for 101 communities in accordance with Supreme Court directives and constitutional values. The government should first implement internal reservations, and any deficiencies can be addressed later.
Karjol highlighted that there has been a struggle for internal reservations in the state for the past 30 years, with demands to increase reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes based on their population. He criticized the state government for not properly implementing reservations and altering court directives.
He questioned why the government is fostering conflict among castes regarding reservations and whether Siddaramaiah can still be considered an AHINDA leader after reducing reservations despite court orders. When the demand for internal reservations intensified, the Congress government formed the Justice Sadashiva Commission and later sought a report from Justice Nagamohan Das.
Karjol noted that during the BJP government, then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai acknowledged the Dalit movement and increased reservations for Scheduled Castes from 15% to 17% and for Scheduled Tribes from 3% to 7%, aligning with their population. Four categories were also created under social justice.
He further explained that a cabinet subcommittee led by the then Law Minister submitted its report, and recommendations were sent to the center. Based on this, reservations were allocated as follows: 6% for the Madiga and related communities, 5.5% for the Chalwadi and sub-castes, 4.5% for the Lambani, Bhovi, Korma, and Koracha communities, and 1% for nomadic groups.
He stated that this was approved by both houses in 2022, received the governor’s assent, and became law. For four years, SCs and STs benefited from 17% and 7% reservations, respectively. The Siddaramaiah government failed to effectively present its case in court and did not implement it according to the principles of constitutional social justice.
He mentioned that after a partial stay, the government filed a memo in court stating it would not maintain the 17% and 7% reservations but would revert to 15% for SCs and 3% for STs as per the 1995 order, seeking permission for this change.
He added that the court accepted this due to a lack of alternatives and noted that no court had imposed a stay or objection on the 17% and 7% reservations.
Karjol accused the government of unilaterally reducing reservations and committing injustice against Dalits, thus losing its moral right to be called an AHINDA leader.
He questioned the government’s ethical authority to form another committee under the Chief Secretary for reviewing this issue when reports already exist.
–
Leave a Comment